Many communication systems include a plurality of endpoint devices such as computers, media presentation devices, set-top boxes, or various combinations thereof, operatively coupled to a network such as the Internet, an intranet, a content delivery system, or the like. In order to enable these systems to perform properly, it may be necessary to gather data characterizing the hardware environment and software environment for each of the endpoint devices. At present, many help desk calls are attributable to issues involving a customer's internal network. Moving into the world of Internet Protocol television (IPTV) and video-on-demand (VOD), a properly running internal network will be critical to customer satisfaction. Accordingly, what is needed is a technique for gathering data about endpoint devices connected to networks, so as to permit troubleshooting of customer problems, and also to enable preventative actions to be taken before a problem occurs.